"This…?"
Kurose Akira glanced at Ivsha, whose slender fingers had just caught his wrist, and then at Roxia standing beside her.
He had never imagined that Aeliss's cheerful "good morning" would turn out to be a trap.
If he let them in now, wouldn't they walk straight into the sight of the Dark Elf Queen—covered in… evidence?
Aeliss wouldn't be a problem. Ivsha could probably accept it too.
But Roxia…
"Is that not allowed?"
Roxia caught the hesitation in Akira's expression, a flicker of suspicion flashing through her crimson-gold eyes.
Ivsha and the others fixed their gazes on him as well, waiting for his answer.
It made Akira's heart tighten, though his face remained composed. After a brief silence, he smiled.
"Of course. Please, come in."
With that, he stepped aside and invited them into the room.
But the moment they entered and saw the elegant figure seated calmly at the edge of the bed, all of them froze in shock.
"Your Majesty?"
"Why are you in Mr. Akira's room?"
Their faces were filled with disbelief. At this hour, why would the Elf Queen be sitting in Akira's bedroom?
"I was discussing some matters with Guild Master Akira—regarding our next mission," the Elf Queen replied with a gentle smile.
"At six in the morning?" Aeliss tilted her head, clearly puzzled. She didn't believe this was a time meant for serious discussion.
But unlike Roxia and Ivsha, she had no ulterior motive for coming. She had only wanted to say "good morning."
"Ah, then we must be disturbing Her Majesty~ We'll take our leave," Ivsha said at once, grabbing Roxia and Aeliss by the hands and pulling them out.
Though Roxia still harbored doubts, Ivsha's swift action left her no time to scrutinize whether this Elf Queen was real or not. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to be led away so as not to interrupt their "conversation."
The moment the door shut—
Akira finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
He turned to the Elf Queen with a grin. "That was a perfect act."
"An act?" she smiled faintly. "I am the Elf Queen, am I not?"
Naturally, it had been the White Elf Queen's soul that appeared just now, temporarily replacing the Dark Elf Queen to fool Roxia.
The only difference between the White Elf Queen and the true Elf Queen was the position of the tear mole beneath their eyes—left versus right. Otherwise, they were identical in every way.
It was only natural Roxia hadn't noticed in such a short time.
"Right… you've always been you. Nothing's changed," Akira quickly corrected himself.
After all, the White Elf Queen and the Elf Queen were originally the same person. Calling it "acting" was inaccurate.
"You really went all out on her, didn't you…" the White Elf Queen said with a soft sigh, glancing at him. "Though thanks to you, it became much easier for me to reclaim control of this body."
"Then why was she the one controlling it?" Akira frowned slightly. "Shouldn't you have suppressed that evil thought already?"
He found it strange. Logically, the White Elf Queen should have appeared first—but instead, it had been the Dark Elf Queen.
"I'm not entirely sure either. Perhaps it has something to do with the World Tree," she replied, shaking her head.
"The World Tree…"
Akira's brows knitted together. That might be the only entity that knew the truth behind all this.
"Let's not dwell on it," she said with a gentle smile. "As long as things are returning to normal, that's enough."
Then she added, "I'm going to the bath. Stay here and make sure no one comes in."
"…What are you planning to do?" Akira asked.
"To wash away your sacred mark, of course."
"—Cough!"
Akira choked slightly. He'd… conveniently forgotten about that.
Seeing his reaction, the White Elf Queen covered her lips and laughed softly before heading into the bathroom.
Left alone, Akira used the quiet moment to manage his resources.
He distributed experience to Roxia and Loserine, both already at level 50.
The experience pool pushed Loserine to level 66 and Roxia to level 65.
There was still some experience left, but after level 50, advancement heavily relied on Ascension Crystals.
From 50 to 60, each level required one crystal. From 60 to 70, it required two.
Fortunately, Loserine's bond trait halved her crystal consumption as well, meaning she only needed half a crystal per level.
Even so, after all calculations, only three Ascension Crystals remained.
"…Still not enough resources."
Akira rubbed his temples. The shortage was stalling his guild's progress.
Compared to other adventurers, their levels were already rising rapidly.
But given the difficulty of their current missions, it still wasn't enough.
He needed more crystals.
Then, he took out a radiant crystal from his inventory—the one he had obtained alongside the power of the stars.
He had never used it.
Because it was meant for semi-god level advancement.
His current members didn't need it yet.
But if he listed it on the marketplace…
"…No."
He shook his head, cutting off the thought.
Its value was immeasurable. Even for hundreds of thousands of gold, he wouldn't sell it.
After all, it could raise a semi-god's level.
"This is…"
A voice suddenly came from beside him.
The Elf Queen had appeared silently, her clear blue eyes fixed on the radiant crystal in his hand.
"This can raise a semi—"
Akira started to explain, then abruptly froze.
This wasn't the White Elf Queen who had gone into the bath.
This… was the real Elf Queen.
"I know what it does," she said softly, lifting her chin slightly to meet his gaze. "I'm simply curious… why you have it."
"…Because…"
Akira hesitated, unsure how to answer.
"Never mind," she cut in, her tone shifting. "It's yours. Forcing you to explain would be improper."
Her sudden change caught him off guard.
But before he could respond—
The door burst open.
Roxia and the others reappeared.
"…You?"
Akira raised a brow in confusion.
The Elf Queen did the same, her gaze calm and gentle.
For a moment, the girls fell silent.
Aeliss leaned toward Roxia and whispered, "Sister Roxia… this Queen doesn't seem fake, does she?"
"…"
Roxia frowned slightly.
She had sensed something off earlier—but now, everything felt normal again.
Had she overthought it?
Or was there something deeper at play?
Questions swirled in her mind, but she said nothing—only stared intently at the Elf Queen beside Akira.
The awkward silence was finally broken by Ivsha.
"Mr. Akira~ we came to let you know breakfast is ready~"
"Oh? Perfect. I'll be there soon."
Akira's eyes lit up. After last night's… exertion, he definitely needed to replenish his energy.
"We'll be waiting~"
With that, they left again.
Akira exhaled deeply.
Roxia really was sharp—she'd nearly seen through everything.
"I spoke with the Pope yesterday," the Elf Queen suddenly said.
"…What?"
Akira's eyes widened in shock.
"I've known for some time," she continued calmly. "From the moment Lady Roxia entered the Elf Kingdom, I recognized her identity."
"…What did you talk about?"
"Current affairs. We reached a certain understanding."
"An understanding?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Though I cannot disclose the details. It concerns state secrets."
Then she leaned closer, her breath brushing against him.
"But I am curious… what exactly is your relationship with the Pope? She seems to view you… differently."
"Better left unsaid~" Akira stepped back quickly, avoiding her gaze.
His reaction only deepened the curiosity in her eyes.
"Very well," she said lightly, standing up. "Then I won't press further."
As she walked toward the door, she added—
"Guild Master Akira, do freshen up before breakfast. You… carry a faint odor."
"…An odor?"
Akira sniffed his sleeve in confusion.
Just then, the White Elf Queen stepped out of the bathroom.
"She's gone?"
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, his gaze drifting over her.
She had changed into a light blue dress, its simple design perfectly accentuating her soft, alluring figure.
"I'll grab breakfast and come back soon."
"…Mm. I'll be waiting."
With that, he left the room.
…
After breakfast, Akira gathered his guild members and prepared to depart.
The World Tree had already marked the approximate location of the enemy guild.
But the location surprised him—
The Moonlight Empire.
"Let's move out."
As the teleportation array activated, he gave the command.
This would be their most difficult battle yet.
So this time, the entire guild—Puff Fantasyland—was mobilized.
"…Ahh~"
Canlutia yawned, rubbing her eyes lazily. "Brat, couldn't you let this true ancestor sleep a little longer?"
"You've been sleeping in a coffin day and night since joining. Not enough?" Akira pinched her nose.
"Hey! Let go!" she protested, tapping his knee. "That's called conserving energy! Unlike you—who has nothing to conserve~"
"Just say you're old," he shrugged.
"…Hmph!"
Soon, they arrived in a quiet village within the Moonlight Empire.
Crescent-shaped lanterns hung outside every house, glowing with a faint blue light.
Akira narrowed his eyes. The light didn't resemble fire—it looked magical.
"The enemy guild is here?"
Despite the lit homes, the village was eerily empty.
"The villagers have gone to a nearby city for a gathering."
The White Elf Queen appeared beside him once more.
"Your Majesty?"
The guild members were stunned.
Especially the elf sisters—they couldn't believe it.
"Let me introduce our new guild member," Akira announced. "Tinas."
"…WHAT!?"
The reactions were explosive.
"The Elf Queen… joined our guild!?"
A semi-divine ruler… joining Puff Fantasyland?
Unbelievable.
Only Roxia narrowed her eyes.
She was certain—
This was not the same Elf Queen as before.
But she alone noticed.
The others welcomed her warmly.
"Call me Tinas," the White Elf Queen smiled. "I'm a guild member now—not the Queen you know."
…
After explanations, they turned to the mission.
"The enemy guild is hiding somewhere in this village," Tinas explained. "We must find them and destroy the device sustaining the spatial ritual."
"But they're hidden within a spatial rift," she added.
"That complicates things…" Roxia murmured.
Without a spatial mage, finding it would be nearly impossible.
"I'll handle it."
Canlutia stepped forward confidently.
"You're sure?" Akira asked.
"Heh. You underestimate me."
With a snap of her fingers, blood droplets filled the air—
Then transformed into mist.
A crimson trail spread through the air, pointing forward.
"Found them!"
They followed it to a chapel.
Inside—
A spatial rift.
"Let me handle the rest."
Mare Rhein stepped forward, her dragon claws tearing the rift open.
An enemy attacked—
Only to be instantly reduced to ash.
"Enter."
Inside—
A grotesque creature lay within a crystal sphere.
"Is that… the ritual device?"
"No," Tinas said quietly. "That's Latias—the guardian of the Space Godhood."
"…Dead?"
"…Yes."
Akira frowned.
A divine guardian… reduced to fuel.
Then—
Enemies appeared.
Interrogation.
Execution.
More revelations.
And finally—
Mira Orei spoke softly:
"I can extract its spatial law… and turn it into your power."
"…You can?"
"Of course," she smiled. "But I have one condition."
"…What is it?"
"…My body is split between two spaces… so some places itch terribly."
She looked at him expectantly.
"Could you… help me with that?"